


broken wings are made to fly (just as your heart)

by mooniecheol



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: "if you saw me thirst over jeonghan no you didn't" - choi seungcheol, College AU, Enemies to Lovers, Explicit Language, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Pining, also want to really kiss each other, and they were ROOMMATES, angy seungcheol, don't really know how and what to tag sorry?, jeonghan bi legend, really loud fights, seungcheols gay thats it, they are gay and they are in love but they are also really stupid, very realistic as you may experience the vivid desire to punch the shit out of jeonghan, woncheol is in it too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 10:47:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27349870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mooniecheol/pseuds/mooniecheol
Summary: choi seungcheol was a normal student trying to juggle his way between university and work, before trouble called 'yoon jeonghan' came into his life, destroying his seeming comfort and stability.(or better: can choi seungcheol fall head over heels for someone he thought was hate-at-first sight?)
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (fair warning: this is clearly unbetaed and my first published fic, so.. yeah! enjoy the read.)

college life was anything but easy, especially for choi seungcheol, who found himself stuck behind a starbucks counter for a few coins. he knew, of course, that deciding to go to university in a bigger city was certainly going to fuck his life up; but, as anyone who knows him can surely prove, seungcheol was never easy. he was short-tempered, impulsive and, to make it better, he was the best at getting sulky and impatient.

he had always been described as the kind of "problematic kid" who would only create trouble ― breaking stuff, painting where he shouldn't have, pushing his classmates more often than not (they knew not to call him by his full name, they asked for it). anger had always been one of his biggest issue and, even though time had dimmed it, there were many times when seungcheol would end up in trouble only due to his attitude. just like when he (accidentally, cheol says) cursed in front of his high-school teacher because of a grade and his so-called dignity.

but anyway, as of now, impatience was the main reason for why he caught himself counting the seconds to the end of the shift to finally go attend his lessons. _two minutes!_ afternoon classes where one of the main reasons why seungcheol was able to call himself a math student and, maybe, have the chance to find a job in the future that wouldn't consist of serving plastic cups full of sugary drinks, that surely did no good to your body, to assholes who didn't have it in themselves to show not even a grain of empathy for those who did this job. seungcheol could barely count them on his fingers the times in which he didn't want to spill the hot coffees on the customers' faces. patience wasn't really a trait for which he stood out. a man who lived most of his life in the smallest city you could think of was definitely not used to all this big-city-rudeness, and it surely did no good to his attitude. but, you know, sometimes they left tips and smiled too.

and the times during which customers were kind to him, he had engraved them in his heart and liked to look back on it when life got too hard. like that time where the prettiest, curly black-haired man, wearing the softest beige sweater he'd ever seen someone wear, offered to help him with his next order, because "he looked kind of stressed out". his little smile actually made seungcheol's heart skip a beat, and he seriously would have kissed him and his pretty face, round glasses included too; he, sometimes, found himself wondering if he'd ever come back, wishing to give him all of the best available he could (and, maybe, even try to offer him dinner, had he ever had the courage ― but not only choi seungcheol was sulky, short-tempered and impulsive, but also the biggest coward the earth had ever seen). « you wouldn't even have the courage to say "hi" to him again if he were to come back, so just stop daydreaming about him », those were the words his co-worker and, unfortunately, best-friend kim mingyu spoke to him whenever it became the chat's topic; followed, with no surprise, by grunts and whines by the oldest baby in the universe (yes, choi seungcheol).

but, actually, today everything was going kind of smoothly. with no rude teens wishing for their orders to come more quickly, he busied himself with requests that never stopped: a macchiato, a spicy latte, and red velvet for table seventeen; three cinnamon rolls for table three; the biggest cup of pure coffee he had ever seen for table two and much more.

« seungcheol, can you bring that order to table two? » spoke lee jihoon, eyes fixed on his face and hands flowing on the cash register, as if to show that he could do that even in his sleep. lee jihoon liked to brag, and seungcheol didn't even try to argue with that, used to it by now, he took the tray from the counter to hold it on the palm of his hand.

yes, everything was going kind of smoothly, up till he tripped on the customer's foot.

the raven-haired waiter quickly found himself on the café's ground, a shattered ceramic cup in front of his face, coffee spilled everywhere near him and his soon-to-be bruises on his whole body aching like hell. it took him a few moments to understand what truly had happened and stopping himself from cursing.

« oh my god » exclaimed, seconds later, the figure that was peacefully sitting at his table, legs spread and eyes previously on his phone, bringing a hand to his mouth. « what happened? is that my cup of coffee? » his voice was slightly high-pitched from the shock, and― _wait, what? his cup of coffee is his main worry?_ « oh― uh, is everything okay? need a hand? ». a grunt exited seungcheol's lips, probably meant a "no" with that, and started rolling on his back, wishing to just lay there forever: it hurt less. his white plain shirt was now marked by large, dark brown spots of coffee, that would only come off after years (if they ever did); and it was only when he glanced away from it, that he saw the _annoying_ customer in front of him, watching still. « you kind of look like shit, are you okay? ».

« _oh_ , thank you, that truly helps me ». seungcheol furrowed his brows, shaking the dust from his trousers, and not really knowing where to look: the mess at his feet or the (handsome) insufferable young man that sat at a few steps from him. the stranger had incredibly stunning blonde hair that covered only partially his eyes and matched perfectly the marble paleness of his skin; right now, his soft-looking red lips were mocking the waiter, eyeing his messy shirt and tangled hair. and even though seungcheol wanted to punch him right there (stopping only because he had, probably not for much longer, a job), a small part of him could not stop from feeling as if the young figure in front of him was nothing but a gift sent from heaven: a soft aura surrounded his soft curls and child-like caramel eyes. he was dressed in a simple white shirt and peachy cardigan and his long legs were stretched in tight black jeans, nothing that could have been defined as "intricated" or whatever, but that only contributed to giving the idea of being a model. seungcheol wouldn't be surprised if he ever happened to spot those same features on the first page of a random vogue volume, he kind of looked like someone who'd be on some first page.

the moment he spoke, it felt as if a thin layer of glass, that distorted reality, got completely shattered in front of seungcheol's own eyes. too beautiful to be true ― or nice, in this case. « foolish me who thought people here were able to do their job right » he uttered, blank stare fixed on seungcheol's face, that was by now a mix of various feelings: the most outstanding one, without a doubt, was fury; the dark-haired men had narrowed his eyes and closed his hands in tight fists, because one word too many and the cute pretty boy would probably find himself with a broken nose. model or not.

by now, we all understood that choi seungcheol had in himself some resembling anger issue. « the fuck did you just say? » he then argued, after a few seconds of silence had passed, at this point deliberately ignoring the fact that attention was now on him and his employer would, in all probability, not hesitate to kick his ass the moment he stepped foot on his office. but only after i'm finished kicking this bitch's ass. or so he wished. « you are free to leave, we won't miss you for sure ».

« shoot! you won't go really far with that attitude ― a pause, to glance at his name-tag ― ..choi. ». 

seungcheol took a shaky breath, patience wasn't something he was good at, and this man was really testing him. « dude, please leave, i don't want to fight ». his voice was low and husky and, at his next words, he saw mingyu (who had joined him a few moments before) tense, his muscles resembling marble walls. « but i won't ask again. ».

« whatever you say. it's jeonghan by the way, not "dude". ». jeonghan's hand was now on his bag, quickly on his wide shoulders, as his eyes still locked on seungcheol ones. _and then winked?_ « good luck, choi. ». and like that, he was gone.

« have you gone fucking crazy? » in a few seconds, mingyu's usually soft voice resonated against seungcheol's eardrum, who stood still, gaze on the glass door that had just clicked shut ― as if only with that, he could try and incinerate it. « not only you're late for your lecture, but this may spread around the whole campus. _and professors too_. ».

seungcheol glanced at his friend. « i'll give them my autograph, then. ». one second after, his figure briskly gone behind the staffroom doors, still swaying after his crossing. kim mingyu was too nice of a friend and knew him just enough to let him blow off some steam ― hoping he wouldn’t break anything.

★

« is everything fine? » chan’s delicate voice asked his senior, the moment choi seungcheol sat right next to him; his brows were furrowed, a pout well-shown on his lips and he looked as if he could start crying right there in a moment. the wooden bench, hidden by the long branches of a willow tree in a corner of the campus’ enormous outer space, was almost full of young students, all busied in chats and jokes, by now distracted from their actual to-do-lists. lee chan was the youngest of the whole group, no less the most bullied one: it wasn’t much of a news that his seniors liked to joke with him; amused by the way his cheeks were used to redden when flustered or his gaping mouth, once he actually forgot what to say, too ashamed by those that were supposed to be more mature than him (just like when they let him fall on his ass, after pushing his chair away during a lesson).

seungcheol laid his head, almost completely covered by his loved black jumper, that left only a few messy strands of hair to see for the eye, on the table. « no, today sucks, it couldn’t get any worse » he whined, catching the full attention of his mates. it was not often that seungcheol complained in such a serious manner; his voice was low and cracked, it felt as if a sheet of glass was reaching the breaking point after being kicked for such a long time. « firstly, the most annoying customer i’ve ever met made me fall on my ass, just to _whine about his poor hot cup of coffee_ that did nothing but ruin the only clean white shirt i had left, forcing me to spend the limited tips i get to buy a new one; then, of course, my professor had to warn me about being late and that otherwise i would not be able get the full course credits. and even more, today my roommate will finally check in, i.e the only nice thing about this day, and i’ll only be able to go back to the dorm and meet him near nine o’ clock, considering that i have to prepare for my next exam, for which i’ve not even _started_ and it’s only five days away. ».

« good lord, cheol » murmured minghao, who had now a hand on his shoulder. his eyes flickered, from his friends to the big black mess that was seungcheol; it wouldn’t have been much harder to notice the way his back went slowly up and down, almost shaken by his long, deep breaths. everything that surrounded seungcheol, right now, felt as if was near to tumbling down on him and crush him until he would pass out from all the piled-up-stress. « everything is going to be fine, or simply going to fix itself. there’s no need to put yourself down like this, it’s normal. kind of. you are still adjusting yourself to this new way of living, we get you, okay? ».

the raven-haired student raised his pouty face from the table just to look at his friend’s eyes, who presented themselves right in front of him, and took a deep breath. « i’m on my third year, i should have adjusted by now.. and without those credits i won’t be able to―, my parents can’t― uhm.. thank you, hao. ».

« i told you: don’t worry, no matter what we’ll help you, somehow ». he stopped. « even vernon will. »

said-vernon turned to them, earphones and a look of confusion on, sheepish eyes slightly covered by wild strands of strawberry blonde hair. « i, what? » he whispered, resulting in men falling on the grass from cramps, luckily enough seungcheol was included in those who could almost not breath from all the laughing. chan, vernon, mingyu, minghao.. they were all seungcheol had in seoul and he could not be thankful enough for them; it felt to seungcheol as if they almost were a raft, that kept him from drowning in the great sea that was life ― they were family, to him.

taking a big breath, seungcheol raised his hand to catch the others’ attention. all eyes were now adverted to him. « anyways, after this awful rant (for which i’m deeply sorry), it’s time for me to go take a seat in the library. thank you very much, guys. » he said, raising from his seat with a soft gummy smile, who now replaced the previous brow-y sullen look, backpack already on his shoulder. « oh, and don’t tell this to mingyu, please. don’t ask any questions, either― bye! ».

★

when seungcheol left the library it was already pitch dark outside, the brightness of the full moon gently bringing to his mind the way a lighthouse used to guide sailors close to home; and a warm feeling slipped through the layers of his coat, like that icy breeze that makes everyone shivers, this time his skin crawled with deep desire of laying under the soft covers of his bed and feeling, at least for once again, like the five-year-old he was who had no troubles and nothing to do but showering his parents with love.

but, at the ripe old age of twenty-three years, his mind was busy surviving through the responsibilities of adulthood, overrun by the fear of the future that resulted in freezing him where he stood from time to time. seungcheol always thought that his choice of moving to seoul was like shooting a bullet in the dark, hands trembling and eyes closed, because otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to pull the trigger, if he ever looked at the target, that seemed way too far from his reach, to even try; thoughts were the hardest to wipe out and he often found himself, when lying on his bed, mulling over whether he did the best choice ― broke, often on the verge of crying, but doing what everyone felt was the most honourable thing for himself. it wasn’t like he didn’t like being there, because he did, he would not leave during this moment in time, but his heart was, maybe, still stuck in the small town he had always lived in. and being home-sick wasn’t something seungcheol felt so strange of him.

« fuck » seungcheol muttered to himself and considered himself lucky enough for being in a fully-empty hallway while rummaging through his backpack pockets in search of what was way too small to be left amidst his books and study-snacks (they granted him concentration during his long study sessions); he kind of tried his best to not be messy, truly attempting to leave his apartment always clean, because _you may never know,_ but when the black-haired boy stuck his finally-found keys in the lock, what appeared before his eyes, the moment he closed the door behind himself, was a show far too different from his usual.

numerous rows of opened cardboard boxes where left in the living room, several even overflowing with clothes, while others got emptied and neglected in some not-so-hidden corner of the apartment. « oh god » seungcheol broke the silence, letting his backpack fall to the ground with a thud. his mind had completely erased, for the whole evening, that coming home he would have finally met the long-awaited man that was assigned to be his permanent roommate. and right now, he wished he didn’t. his face was marked by dark eyebags and red eyes, from reading under a bright light the whole afternoon, and his hair were tangled and messy, for which he had to thank the amazing jumper he always put on when found nothing clean. « uhm― hi? is someone here? » he said, at one point, eyes not catching the man able to create such a disaster in such a short amount of time, as his arriving time was signed to be only one hour before; seungcheol felt as if a bomb had exploded in the room the moment he had stepped in it. « anyone? ».

and this time, a voice, way too familiar for seungcheol’s taste, answered him. a honey-like sound filled the silence as the door that led to the bathroom slung open, a hot wave of steam and bright light flooding the room. « yes! yes, i’m here! sorry i was just in the shower. you might have to forgive me, i thought i had enough time to― **_oh._** ». a slim, young figure was standing in the bath’s doorway, arms folded on his bare chest, showing the way his pale skin, attractively arched over his muscular biceps, who were in that moment relaxed. the owner had only now looked up from the floor, wet strands of wavy, platinum hair casually covering his eyes and rapidly swept away with a soft breath. _jeonghan_ caught seungcheol’s gaze, fixed on him while only a few steps away. « what a nice surprise… ». and he was _smirking_! while being almost naked! god _was_ testing him.

his mouth, gaping since the man, who had been able to ruin his whole day from the morning, had appeared in front of him, with only a pair of sweatpants on and a ( ~~hot~~ ) punchable expression on, closed shut, quickly. « _you―_ the fuck? why are you in my apartment? ».

« _our apartment,_ choi. » he muffled, in between putting his sweater, a light purple one, over his head and glancing at the dumbfounded frown seungcheol had painted on his face. his eyebrows rose, and he tilted his head. « what a _stupid_ question you just asked. isn’t it kinda obvious that i’m your new roommate? it truly is a surprise, didn’t expect that, _universe._ ».

« i don’t want you here, _the universe_ can take you and send you back to wherever you came from. ». seungcheol glared. « probably the deepest corner available in hell. ».

« ouch, what a shame that you’re now stuck with me. » the blondie mastered the fakest expression seungcheol had ever seen someone put on, arched brows and pouty lips included. « you can go complain with the director, he’ll surely listen to your whining. i’m here for the room, not to make friends and bond during late night conversations, i don’t care. ». his lovely face, or what was previously portrayed as it, was now stiff, a blank expression depicted on it, and seungcheol never wanted to smack it out from his face with a resounding clap.

and without saying a word, jeonghan moved to the closest box, starting to order what was left as a mess, while seungcheol sat silently on the armchair of the couch, so full of jeonghan’s stuff that he gave upon the idea of trying to sit on it. his eyes moved slowly from the wooden floor to the man who walked around the boxes, too busy with his possessions to look after seungcheol ― or at least so he thought. jeonghan’s legs were spread around a cardboard box, black sweatpants shaped by the way his muscles tensed to keep himself still, whereas his delicate hands moved slowly and carefully around his many clothes. he could not miss the way is skin and nails seemed to be tendered carefully, how even these small details of his body resembled perfection. « are you done staring? » jeonghan suddenly spoke, startling the dark figure that was seungcheol, who rose from his seat.

he coughed. « i’m not staring. ». and with that, and a striking flush on his soft cheeks, he left the room. _i was definitely not staring._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, hi, nice to meet you all readers! this is unbetaed so it is probably very much a m e s s, but whatever, hope you liked it?? because im sensitive?? please let me know if you enjoyed this or not, your general opinion and what you think might be the best for these stupid bitches through comments and kudos (insults are accepted, just show yourselves).  
> you can find me on my new twt account, @mooniecheol! bye bye bbs


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is once again un-betaed. sorry! hope you enjoy it!

two weeks had passed since yoon jeonghan came into seungcheol’s life, and after that, the man had only glimpsed the young figure through hallways and small gaps left from not-fully-closed doors. choi seungcheol had made peace with the fact that he could not avoid him forever, but, clearly, his roommate had not. sometimes, in the dark of his room, he happened to hear the door close shut at 3am, while chuckles and soft whispers spread to the whole apartment, disappearing only after another door closed ― the one that separated the living room from jeonghan’s room. seungcheol saw, from time to time, a girl leaving that room early in the morning, each time a different one, while busying himself with university work or just sipping his coffee; but almost never caught sight of the man who attracted all these people. and when they bumped into each other, either long silences or loud screams filled the rooms.

choi seungcheol had made peace with that, but as much as he could have been a choleric, short-tempered, even crude here and there, kind of individual, he was not made for antagonism. the idea that someone could not even stand being in the same room as he made him want to rip his heart out of his chest and throw it in the burning hot cup of coffee that sat at a few centimetres from his face, letting it drown with all the feelings and hurts that came with being human. being human was hard, who even asked for it? all the responsibilities, having to deal with other humans and their shitty problems was not something choi seungcheol was good at, and if an information desk for it existed, he’d ask for instructions on how to give all of this back to the manufacturer.

steam came out of the big cup that sat at the table, seungcheol’s eyes fixed on it. his big, callous hands were softly reddened at the tips, where you could see how the skin slightly strained after having suffered long stress, always picked on by the man’s nails, without him even noticing how it had just become a habit. his stubby finger slowly traced the mug’s handle and all of its cracks, formed due to its long age; that was seungcheol’s favourite way of comfort, grazing the roughened surface, reminding him of happy times and childhood, the way his mom cherished extorting hugs and kisses out of him before he could even think of having his breakfast. paying no mind to how the steam was still flowing tirelessly out of its borders, liquid burning hot, he leisurely brought that to his lips, already flushed, while his eyes dragged through the room, softly lit by the few sun rays passing through the clouded layer that covered the sky out of his apartment. _it’s probably going to rain_ , the thought flew his mind, as he once again sipped and moved his gaze from the window. only now noticing the wider gap left by the door, usually closed. _since when was that open?_

he had not heard it opening. _was i so lost on my own thoughts?_ it was not the first time jeonghan slipped through his fingers before he could actually catch him. but this time, it felt like realising that the ghost you thought lived with you had finally shown itself to your eyes and you had fucking wasted that moment. _i’m probably going to forget what his face looks like at this point. were his eyes brown? or a darker shade of green? has he curly hair? his lips were really plump._ thoughts in his head spun fast, trying to find a rational answer, when the bathroom door sprung open.

the slim, tall, figure was standing in the doorway, ignoring the surprised gaze that was attentively analysing him. jeonghan’s head was slightly thrown back, hair showing his high forehead, trying not to make his phone fall, precariously held between his ear and shoulder. his neck was tense, showcasing the pale and soft muscles that were usually hidden by high-necked sweaters. gentle and slender fingers combed his fair hair and soft-looking curls with his eyes closed. he was trying to focus on many different tasks at the same time, and seungcheol could not keep himself from noticing the soft dimples that appeared from time to time. he could _almost_ fall for him. if only he were not a shitty person. 

a good-natured laugh escaped his lips. « no, of course, i’ll try to be home for your birthday, i haven’t forgotten about it. ». one of his hands rested on his hips, as the unrestricted one grabbed the phone. seungcheol’s eyes could not help to notice how only the lower part of his body was covered by baggy black sweatpants, while his torso was completely naked, showing off the slight lines that outlined his abdomen, and a soft flush appeared on his cheeks. _are you done staring?,_ jeonghan’s voice echoed in his head as his eyes tried to escape from looking, preferring to focus on his own phone, pretty silent for once.

jeonghan’s eyes had opened and gazed at the hushed black-head figure sat at his far side; seungcheol’s jumper had gotten pulled up to the nose, leaving only his eyelids to show, fully concentrating on the bright phone screen. the next time jeonghan spoke, his voice was harder and harsher than before, his gaze still on his roommate. « _huh._ yes, i’ll call you back soon. _huh, bye._ ».

a long breath escaped jeonghan’s lips, and he left for his room. that, seungcheol thought would be the last time he’d see him for the day, like he always did, ignoring seungcheol’s presence in the living room or fully disappearing from the apartment. whether he’d be studying or cleaning the dishes, jeonghan left him on his own and liked to forget about the fact that he could even try to socialise. but this time, resulting in seungcheol frowning at what his eyes were witnessing, as he had already settled and opened his laptop to _finally_ , maybe, start doing some uni-work, the fair and messy head appeared once again on the doorway.

« what are you doing? » seungcheol blurted before he could stop himself. his eyes followed the slim figure, busy turning on the tv, fingers moving fast as he laid what was a dark black mat on the floor. « i’m studying, here. ».

blond strands of hair covered his eyes, but seungcheol could still see his quirky gaze as he turned to stare at him, a shiver rushed through seungcheol’s body. « i’m exercising » was his answer, characterised by a chilly tone, as if it were something he always did and seungcheol only now noticed. « and if you’re looking at me, then you’re not studying. right, _cheollie_? ».

« i _am_ studying, jeonghan, you can’t put on music now. and, since when do you exercise? you really don’t seem like the type. ».

« _you’d be surprised_ ». as his brows arched, his hands took the controller, raising the volume. eyes still fixed on him; _fancy_ was now loudly playing in the room. « and who says that i can’t, exactly? ». just as seungcheol opened his mouth to answer, he talked again. « _ugh!_ sorry, can’t hear you. but don’t worry, you can tell me when i finish. ». a smirk got wider and wider on that pretty face of his.

seungcheol’s body temperature slowly started to rise, his cheeks getting redder as seconds passed. he stayed silent, his phone clutched in one hand, staring at the other man lay on the floor. jeonghan’s soft hair stood out in strong contrast with the mat, strands of sunrays shining in the dark. seungcheol didn’t realise that as he strode up to him, but yoon jeonghan really was the prettiest devil he’d ever met. with big steps, he was already crouched near the television, hand on its socket. and he plugged it out.

« can you hear me now? » he murmured, as he crept near his figure, eyes narrowed and clenched jaw. « and now? » he spoke again, much closer, his lips now brushing his ear. a little laugh escaped from seungcheol’s lips, as he saw the man lying sealed, the ghost of his previous smile still visible. « keep this up and i’m going to kick you until you can’t even realise where it hurts. oh, what did you say weeks ago? you’re not here to make friends? well, me neither, so stop fucking around. the fuck is your problem? ». silence was the only thing audible in the room, as seungcheol went and took his seat back.

the clock kept on ticking, just like seungcheol kept on glancing to where the blondie previously sat. his door was now closed shut, no sound coming from it. as he bit his finger, held between his lips, his mind could not stay still. there was no explanation, to seungcheol, on why such a person would _enjoy_ annoying other people. everything, every single thing, in jeonghan pushed him off. it was like his whole purpose in life was ticking off people with his poor judgments on others. his body was screaming _i’ll be here judging you, annoying you, and you can’t do anything about it._ and seungcheol could not help but wonder why someone would be like this. if there was something he learnt in his, short, life was that you cannot judge people solely based on the first encounter. but what he _did not_ see, was that he was falling on the same hole, being no better than jeonghan.

★

****

seungcheol’s eyes opened slowly, and he found himself puzzled by his surroundings. his laptop screen by now off for the past hours, the little red light slowly turning off too, battery as good as dead. the only light on was a small lamp on the table, brightening the small zone where his head laid. his brain was not sure if it was already on before he dozed off, as the sun was only starting to set. a yawn escaped his lips, while he rubbed his puffy, and a bit red, eyes. the whole room was just as dark as the street outside the window, where only houses lights, streetlamps and shop signs kept the dark from taking over. it was not deep in the night, and that he understood from the fact that he could hear chattering and the sound of cars passing nearby. a loud **_ding_** in the silent room lit up his phone, which marked half-past five, adding to the countless messages that were received from kim mingyu.

[ **min-cute:** _hyung_? where are you? aren’t you coming to work today? it’s only been fifteen minutes but you’re usually not late.. i’m covering for you, in any case, just text me as soon as you can :( ].

as seungcheol’s eyes ran through the bright screen, he started to realize that it was a weekday and that he had a job. at this point, he was clearly asking to be fired: first the issue with jeonghan, now not being on time. he wouldn’t be surprised if he’d receive a text to just tell him not to come that day. nor the day after. as these thoughts crowded his mind, still fuzzy from the long nap (which he shouldn’t have done, considered that that essay was due to next week), seungcheol ran to his room, just to take his coat and his keys, and went straight to the door. he wasn’t usually like this, he always tried hard to have nothing that could turn against him in the next future. and being fired wasn’t something that he could actually afford. seungcheol walked on the bumpy sidewalk without even thinking where he’d need to put his feet next, his full attention on his phone screen, where he was busy sending texts.

[ **just sent to min-cute : **oh my god. i’m coming, i’m so sorry. i fell asleep while studying. already on my way, be there in a few. not far!!!! i love you!!! thank you ming t-t ].

the moment he put away his phone, his walking transformed in a fast run, given that his eyes could already catch sight of the building. drawing glances and dirty looks from those who he swiftly avoided hitting, seungcheol threw himself against the glass door, heavier than usual. « i’m her― ouch. sorry! » he blurted out, considering how he had just almost hit a customer in the face. quickly bowing, once again he made his way behind the counter, where the raised brows belonging to kim mingyu were waiting for him.

« am― so― sorry! ». still short-winded, choi seungcheol kneeled on the floor, taking deep breaths while his eyes fixed on the ground. as he raised his head, mingyu finally showed a smile looking at his reddened cheeks and pouty lips. how could one ever be mad at someone who looked like this? « i― i fell asleep and― and i forgot about work, i truly am sorry, mingu. »

and people even claimed choi seungcheol was a scary man.

« will you please get up from the floor? i’m not mad. and people are looking weirdly at you, so please? ». finally, a smile appeared on the older’s face, who took the offered hand. « here’s your apron, i’m going to tell jihoon you’re here. even though i’m sure he noticed from the scene you just made » mingyu’s last words were just muttered, against the fact that he was sure that for today seungcheol would not get mad at him, feeling too guilty. but, still, doubt lingered in mingyu as he turned his back to the other, moving away from the counter.

« hi, what can i get you? » seungcheol said, eyes on his hands, tying his apron as fast as he could. only now, he realized how lucky he was not to be on his pyjama, too worried about being late to think about what he was wearing.

it was when a familiar voice spoke that seungcheol snapped his head up. « just a caramel macchiato, thank you. ». dark brown eyes, just sightly covered by soft curls, were looking at him behind round glasses: nice and gentle. **_the curly-haired hottie._** « is everything okay? » he asked, brows furrowed, as he noticed the way seungcheol’s eyes quickly widened. it was a stroke of luck his cheeks were already red.

« yes! yes. oh, here, it’s 6,773 won. your―? uhm― what do i write? what’s your name? »

the customer’s lips curled upwards, the shadow of a delicate smile, as he handed him the money. « jeon wonwoo, you can write wonwoo. ».

 _jeon wonwoo_ , a pretty name for a pretty man. he couldn’t have imagined anything different. « i’ll get back to you with your drink, just a moment. ». and without saying anything more, seungcheol’s figure disappeared, running to his coworker. « mingyu! mingyu. oh my god, pretty boy’s here. » his murmurs were fast and low, but just enough high to be heard by his friend.

« what? but, most importantly, what did he order? ».

« oh, right. a caramel macchiato. but what do i do? mingyu? help, what should i do? »

as seungcheol fidgeted with the loose end of his apron, mind crowded with weird ways of how he could possibly ask the other man for his number, the drink was put in front of him with a heavy sigh. « there’s a football match of our college’s team this saturday, ask him if he wants to come. i have someone who can give us tickets, it won’t be a problem. »

he raised his brows. « i never went to a football match of our university, mingyu. not even once. ».

« him neither, probably. you have to flirt with him, not introduce him to the whole team. what’s the problem? go, the drink’s ready. go! ». and with a slight push, seungcheol was forced to go back to his place.

just like he never went away, wonwoo was still in front of the counter, the only difference was the phone on his hands, now. « here’s your drink, hope you enjoy it. ».

« oh, thank you very much. see you so― ».

« are you― are you free on saturday? uhm. there’s this match, my university has a pretty cool team, i think. » he stopped, grasping the receipt from the surface and getting his marker out from his pocket, scribbling what looked like numbers on the paper. a “seungcheol” just above. « if you are, free i mean! this is my number, you can text me. »

wonwoo, after what seemed a moment of hesitation, took the offered paper, showing a polite smile. « that’s nice, i’ll let you know if i’m free. bye.. seungcheol? ». glancing one last time to the flustered bartender, he started walking towards the door, soon disappearing from his sight, eyes on the receipt.

« i never thought you’d seriously ask him. » causing seungcheol to jump on his seat, mingyu started giggling right behind him, patting his back. « i already texted my friend, i have two tickets on your name. i hope he texts you, _hyung_. ».

« i do too. uh? wait, you were listening the whole time? ». his mouth opened, as he processed the information, showing the best-disdained expression he could ever make; but he soon decided to let it go with a wave of his hand, feeling his phone buzzing on his pocket.

[ **new message! _roommate:_** you seriously left the light on? do i have to remind you that we actually pay bills? or are you rich enough to pay for what you don’t even use? ].

and there it was, reality hitting him once again straight on his face. _you can’t kill him, you have to graduate. you can’t afford that. start taking boxing, instead._ choi seungcheol kept on repeating to himself as he typed a fast answer, then putting his phone back in his pocket.

[ **just sent to roommate : **fuck off. ].

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm back after months! i know you probably expected something better but i had a lot of problems with writing this chapter. i hope i can bring something more exciting next time (fingers crossed) and that you did not totally hate this one. the whole fic is seungcheol-centered but i can try and show you jeonghan's point of view too in the future, if you want. there's still a lot to discover about these characters and everything will start to unfold soon!  
> friendly reminder that we can chat on twt (mooniecheol) and on cc too!  
> see you


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